Electric railway



N0. 625,|68. Patented May l6, I899. B. M. HUNTER. ELECTRIC -BAILWAY.(Application filed Oct. 4, 1889.)

(No Model.)

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those of the other conductor.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEGENERAL ELEC TRIQOOMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,168, dated May 16,1899.

Original application filed May 9, 1887, gerial No. 237,535. Divided andthis application filed October 4, 1889. $erial No. 325,957. (No model.)I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improve-- ment inElectric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to electric railways; and it consists ofcertain improvements,

all of which are fully set forth in the follow-.

from each other and supplying electricity to the electrically-propelledvehicle or car through two independently movable collectors or contactdevices, one for each of said conductors, and which collectors may beindependently connected to the car, the whole operating so that each mayfollow any irregularities of its own conductor irrespective of Thisenables the conductors to be placed in operative position withoutexcessive care and greatly cheapens the construction without in theleast affecting the working capacity of the system. The collectors maybe made in any suitable manner and flexibly connected, so that they maymove laterally or vertically with respect to the car or vehicle. Myinvention also inolu des suitable switches for crossing suspendedconductors,in which the gap necessary may be temporarily bridged-for thepassage of the collector. These separate collectors supply, electricityto the motor on the car, and, if desired, to a secondary batterythereon, which may be employed for supplying current to suitablelighting or heating apparatus on the car or to propel the car over aportion of the track where suspended conductors are im practicable, inwhich case the collectors would be disconnected. These secondarybatteries are preferably located under the seats of the car and inclosedin compartments having hinged doors on either the outside or inside ofthe car, or both.

My invention comprehends minor details, which are fully set forthhereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of an electric railway andcar embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of same.Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the arrangement of a v crossing track.Fig. 4: is a plan view of same, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectionillustrating the modifications of the suspendedconductors shown in Fig.1.

A and B are the two suspended conductors and are supported upon posts C,arranged at intervals apart and connecting with the generator D, whichmay be provided with a regulator E to control the amount of currentpassing to line. The conductors'A and B may be arranged one above theother, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or maybe arranged in the samehorizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 5, and may be of light wires, rods,or cables.

F is the car and is propelled by an electric motor K, constructed in anysuitable manner and mechanically connected with the .axle to rotate it.The motor is supported by the axles independently of the car-body andourrent-collecting devices carried by the latter, so that while thecollector supplies current to the motor it is not disturbed by thejarring thereof.

G and H are two independent collectors or contacts adapted to run ormove in contact with the conductors B and A, respectively, and areseparate and distinct in their movements, each being free to followirregularities inits own conductorirrespective of the irregularities inthe other conductor. These collectors may be made in any suitable mannerto produce good contact with little friction. These collectors may be ofany suitable construction and are provided with grooved wheels which runalong the under side of the conductors. The collector-contacts G and Hare connected to conductors I and J, which extend obliquely rearward andrespectively connect with the car through detachable socket connectionsz, whereby they may be readily detached when the car is to continuealong its route and where there are no suspended conductors. Theseconductors I and J are movably connected with the car, so that theircontacts G and H rise and fall or move laterally to follow the suspendedconductors.

The conductors leading to and connected to the respectivecollector-wheels are provided on their lower ends with vertical partswhich fit into socket-pieces, and hence are adjustable about a verticalaxis. The conductors I and J supply current to the motor-circuit P onthe car, from which circuit the current maybe divided, part passing overthe armature-circuit L, provided with a current-reverser I and aresistance-changer M, and another portion passing over the field-magnetsN, having a resistance-changer 0. By this means the regulation of themotor is easily maintained. In place of the shunt-wound motor anyordinary series-wound motor may be used.

Q are secondary batteries which are located under the seats of the car,being entirely inclosed therein by doors ff upon the inside and outsideof the car, either or both of which doorsmay beemployed.Thesebatteriescoa sist of a number of cells, each connected, preferably,in series, and are charged from the motor-circuit or conductors I and Jby a circuit q, provided with a resistance-changer Q to control theamount of current passing through the battery while being charged.

T is a switch which may be employed to out the battery out of circuitfrom the line conductors, or said switch T may be employed to connectthe secondary battery in circuit with the electric lamps S in circuit 8,resistance-changei-Q being then employed to regulate the current fiowingthrough the lamps. If desired, the secondary battery may also beutilized to supply electric current to the electric heater R, arrangedin a circuit R and provided with a resistance-changer r. This heater mayalso receive its current direct from the collectors, and its circuit Bmay have a circuit-breaker W to cut the heater out of circuit.

19 represents an electric-light circuit arranged as a shunt around themotor and is provided with a resistance-changer r to control the amountof current flowing through the lamps. The secondary batteries would notrequire removal often; but when necessary their removal may be madethrough the doors f or f In the case of crossing tracks I arrange onetrack, U, (see Fig. 3,) above the other track, B, and the latter isdivided at I), supported by an overhanging arm from the post 0. Pivotedto the end I) is a switch B, which is provided with a weight I) andadapted to span the opening I) in the conductor. The divided conductor Bhas its ends held in position in line by the inverted-V-shaped framework0 C and is electrically connected by an electric circuit V to bridge thebreak in its continuity. As the collector Gis moved against the switchliquely and upwardly from the car.

it pushes it down and crosses under the crossing conductorU, andimmediately upon passing the switch, through the mediation of its weightor a spring, opens and the passage is free for the collector of thecrossing conductor U.

The independently-movable collectors allow the construction of thesuspended conductors at a curve to be extremely simple, obviating thenecessity of exactness in their relation to each other, and also, ifdesired,

permitting the employment of conductors one above the other. It is alsoevident that in case the rails were used as a re turn-conductor in someparts of the line where they could be fairly well insulated or protectedthe advantage of making the collectors separate would be obvious, as thecar could continue on its course with one of the collectors only. Inthis case we would have a suspended conductor supplying positivecurrent,from which it is delivered to the car by an upwardly-extendingcollector, and the current after energizing the motor would be deliveredto the rails through the wheels of the car. The col lectors are to therear of the sockets 't' and the connecting-conductors are arranged ob-The oblique rearward extensions of the conductors of the collectorsenable them to follow irregularities and maintain contact with the lineconductors A B.

When the electrically propelled vehicle passes from the portion of theline supplied with theoverhead conductors to a portion of the line notsupplied with any conductors, then the collector-conductors I J aredisconnected at the sockets i, and the secondary battery Q is employedas a source of electric power to operate the motor over such portion ofthe line as is n otsupplied with the suspended conductors.

Ido not limit myself to the details here shown, as they may be modifiedin various Ways Without departing from my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1.. The combination in a crossing electric railway of a pivoted electricconductor extending along the railway, a pivoted conductor-sectionadapted to bridge. the break in the said pivoted conductor, a transverseconductor arranged across the pivoted conductor upon the distant sidethereof and in line with the break, an electric circuit connecting thetwo sections of the first-mentioned pivoted conductor, and anelectrically-propelled car having a current-collectin g device adaptedto.

operate the pivoted conductor to automatically cause it to bridge thebreak in the conductor and acting as a guide for the collector.

2. The combination of two continuous suspended working conductorssupplying currents of opposite polarities, arranged at different levelsfrom the ground and in different Vertical planes, a series ofsupporting-poles IIO common to both conductors, a collector moving incontact with each of said conductors and making an underrunning ormoving contact therewith, an electrically-propelled vehicle, andindependent upward and rearward connections between said collectors andvehicle.

- 3. In a crossing electric railway, thecom-, bination of two crossingsuspended electricconductors insulated from each other one be-' ingmechanically divided andthe other continuous, and a pivoted or hingedswitch in line with said divided conductor and adapted to bridge thebreak therein during the passage and by the action of the collectordevice of the car.

4. In a crossing electric railway the combination of two crossingsuspended electric conductors one being at a lower level than the otherand divided at a point below the other conductor, a conductor bridgingthe break in the lower conductor, and a pivoted or hinged switch movableon a transverse axis in line with said divided conductor and adapted tobridge the break under the action of the collector device of the car.

5. In a crossing electric railway the combination of two crossingsuspended conductors one being at a lower level than the other anddivided at a point below the other conductor, aconductor bridging thebreak in the lower conductor, a pivoted or hinged switch in line withsaid divided conductor and adapted to bridge the break and means to keepit normally open.

6. In an electric railway two crossing electric conductors one of whichhas an opening in it below the other of said conductors, in combinationwith a self-opening section to bridge said opening whereby when thecollector device is passing over the lower of the conductors the sectionis closed so that the crossing conductor temporarily secures itscontinuity, and'means to supply electricity of the same potential to theconductor upon each side of the self-opening section.

7. The combination, with one of the crossing electric conductors orpower-lines for an electric railway, of a self-opening conductingbridge-piece.

8. The combination of a suspended electric conductor having a portionthereof cutaway to form a transverse passage-way, framework for rigidlysupporting the two ends of the severed conductor in line with eachether, and a pivoted bridge-piece loosely pivoted to one end of thedivided conductor and adapted during the passage of thecollector to spanthe break in the conductor and allow the free passage of said collector.

9. The combination of a suspended electric conductor having a portionthereof cut away to form a transverse passageway, framework for rigidlysupporting the two ends of the severed conductor in line with eachother, and a pivoted bridge-piece loosely pivoted to one end of thedivided conductor on a transverse aXis with respect to the length of theconductor and adapted during the passage of the collector to span thebreak in the conductor and allow the free passage of said collector.

10. The combination of a divided electric conductor, aninverted-U-shaped framework for supporting the two ends of the conductorin line, a pivoted bridge-piece adapted to bridge the break and allowthe free passage of the collector, and a transverse continuous conductorpassing through the inverted-U- shaped frame above or ata higherelevation than the break in the first-mentioned conductor.

11. The combination, with crossing electric conductors for an electricrailway, of one or more conducting bridge-pieces suitably hung orsupported to swing in avertical plane and adapted to bridge the gap leftin the path of the trolley or contact for one of said conductors at thepoint where the trolley or contact of the crossing conductor passes.

12. In an electric railway, a vertically swinging contact-bridge B,operated by the trolley and normally standing in position to permit thecontact or trolley of a crossing conductor to pass without obstruction.

13. The combination of a conductor A, 7

adapted to be engaged by a traveling contact, a second conductor B,crossing over the first, and a swinging contact bridge pivoted to swingin a vertical plane in the space below the conductor A and electricallyconnected with the line or conductor B.

14. The combination, with electric conductor B, parts of which, atopposite sides of conductor A, are electrically united, of theconducting bridge-piece adapted to bridge the space beneath theconductor A.

15. TheIcombination, with an electric conductor engaged by a travelingcontact device and having its continuity normally interrupted, of asecond conductor continued over the first so as to be mechanically andelectrically continuous, and a movable bridgepiece for the formeradapted to normally rest to one side of a vertical plane through thesecond conductor and to swing or move beneath the said conductor underthe action of the traveling contact.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER.

Witnesses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, S. T. YERKES.

